Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Bra's

Reply from a previous comment
I actually don't think they make 38's. They make 37 or 39 I think, but 38 doesn't really exist. Just went and checked my bra's and I only have 32's and 36's.
Ladies who work at bra stores always seem to have great boobs. Or at least they're presented really well. Which is like saying a car dealer drives a nice car or a comic shop clerk knows a lot about comics.

61 comments:

mike weber/fairportfan said...

A friend (i suspect thse weas an "A" cup - she used to have a shirt that said "Objects under this shirt are larger than they appear" that she wore at cons - once mentioned that her mother was a foundation-garment specialist, and that all through high school and college her friends bitched about how they could never get fitted right for bras and she's just smile...

Caterpillar said...

They do indeed make 38s but I've only seen them in C & D. However, I've personally run into the nasty habit of stores to shove you into a much bigger band size when they don't carry the cup size you are (Victoria's Secret kept trying to put me two sizes to small by just upping the band size). Only when I shelled out the extra cash to go to one of the stores designed for those of us on the curvy side did I finally get equipment that supports me.

Monica said...

Actually, they do make those. Not very many, but they do. Which is a good thing, because I'm a 38B. Pain in the ass to find bras sometimes.

NoraA said...

excuse me but I wear a 38B bra so they do exist. Band sizes run in even numbers from mid 20's all the way thru the 50's in custom ordered bras.

Nora-A

Anonymous said...

hehehe ... I know the feeling, having been professionally fitted upon occaision. Tthere's even a livejournal community halfway dedicated to the problems of getting properly fitted for a bra.

Anonymous said...

I used to work at a bra store, L'eggs, Hanes, Bali, Playtex. Its an outlet store. It depends on style and brand but the Playtex Thank Goodness It Fits bras are even in a 38A. Sometimes. Also Barely There. The Bali and regular Playtex usually don't, but there is 38B.
I once had to fit a girl who had a 46 band and an A cup. Found one that fit in Bali. I've also had to fit girls who were a 32 nearly A. And once a girl came in who measured 30, we didn't have anything to fit such a small around girl.
Bra fitting is more art than science.
Oh, and Victoria's Secret fits differently, the sizes are such to make women feel better. So you would measure different in a Hanes store. I've had women tell me they were a 36D and I'd measure them and they would be a 38 or even 40 B or C. Oh and the band measurement isn't how big around you are, its how big around you are plus four or five inches. So don't be vain about the number, its just made up.

Amanda said...

This is one of my major gripes. Make a standard in bra sizes. Stop accosting me when I go in to buy a new bra. I went into one store like a comment above for those of us who are curvier and though I was correct on band size, was totally off on cup size. The new bigger bras fit perfectly, but I don't get why they can't just make it simple. (if this makes any sense at all, I'll be amazed haha)

Jennie Breeden said...

One of my male roommates tried to complain to me about how some jeens are changing their sizing and he can't just go grab whatever size he is anymore. He has to go try them on now. I wanted to punch him.

Rachelle said...

I think the problem with bra sizes is that they're trying to appeal to a woman's vantity at the same time as providing a very important and functional piece of clothing. Not always two things that work together, you know?

I should get professionaly fitted sometime but bras from those places are so expensive and I just don't have the money for that. So I'll keep getting what fits okay in the regular stores.

Still, I'd love to get that music bra. That was awesome.

Anonymous said...

I used to think I was a C-85, turned out I was an E-80. No wonder all my bras were uncomfortable!! Too loose around the ribs and too small in the cup. I would suggest to anyone, if you go buy a bra, go to a GOOD store and have yourself measured. It's a world of difference!

kirsty said...

I bought 2 bras (well basque type, one strapped and one strapless) online in what was supposedly my size.
Both were a 42F.
Tried them both on. The strapped one fitted lovely.
Strapless i couldn't do up though. Hmm... Strange.
Held them both up together, the strapped one was 4inches longer than the strapless.

why bother with sizes??

Unknown said...

Ahhh, the world of boob fitting ... as a 34A, it's a world i'll never fully understand. SIGH :(

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh, i live near there, I need to be fitted, they have my size AND there is a DQ nearby for my 13 year old son to go to rather than die of embarressment

I am so going, thanks for the funny comic and the link

Unknown said...

As someone with a large cupsize, I have trouble finding ones that fit me as well. Its not 38, but it always seems that the ones I need are never in stock, oh sure they have the number in other sizes, but not in the size I need. I really should try going to one of the specialty stores, but I can't get over the fact I'd need to be measured and I have a thing about people touching me.

Anonymous said...

Hm...I used to wear a 42DD and had the tightest shoulders--rock hard, constant pain. Then I went to a curvy lady store *cough*annmurdock.com*cough* and tried some on. Ann put me in a 46G and then said some nonesense about taking it off so she could ring me up. No. Ring it up, I'm wearing it out!

My shoulders stopped hurting and I haven't shopped anywhere else since. (No good curvy lady stores since she moved to the coast...but it's a lovely chance to get a new bra and dip your toes in the ocean!)

Kirsten said...

Hello,
I am a lingerie sales person in an upscale boutique and have been for the past 3 years.

38 band bras DO exist but 37 & 39 do not. It depends on your cups size but bands most commonly are 32 to 42 and higher. I fit 40C to 38DD depending in the style, brand and fabric of the bra. Most women are a range of sizes and which tend to change as we age, gain or lose weight, go through pregnancy or menopause.

No matter what size you are I suggest getting a proper fitting. Keep an open mind as our bodies are not "off the rack" and the bras are. Department store bras just don't cut it when one is well endowed.

Yes some bras in boutiques are more expensive but they last longer and are properly fit. Therefor you look better in your clothes. If you wear a bra for 365 days a year, divide the cost by that and it is just pennies a week for comfort.

A few brands that are excellent quality are: Grenier, Chantelle, Fantasie, Goddess and Elomi.

Anonymous said...

hmmmm...

every time i see the phrase "off the rack" juxtaposed with bra sizing...

it makes me snicker in more ways than one.

(married to a woman who discovered last year, after a pro fitting, that she's been afflicted with overly large band and overly small cups for about 9 years now...)

Anonymous said...

I find this vaguely funny since earlier today I was thinking about getting resized (oh paranoia now that I must always be certain my size - and not wanting to pay $60 for the wrong size) since the bras I have are basically shreds now. I second the comments on Vicky's. They tried to convience me to wear a different size without offering to size me (because they don't carry 32DDD) when I asked if they had it. Overall they were just interested in a sale, not an actual fit. So far been sticking to JCPenny's since its the only simple department place that sells that size in one brand (Lunaire) and good bras without going to boutiques. They've lasted forever so I'm a bit surprised I actually need to buy new ones.

Anonymous said...

Size 38s are quite common and quite sought after as someone who spent most of her life at 42 FF and finally got down to a 38F. YAY me !!

Also what most women don't know is that you can go down a band size if you go up a cup size and visa versa. It helps when you are bigger and cant find a bra in you size that you can afford.

Iʻll never get why manufacturers think that if it fits a 32A they can just make it bigger for 38 F and charge 3 times as much and expect it to fit the same. So annoying and unfair.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JulezP said...

I used to wead a 38DD... when I was in high school.

*sigh* I miss shopping in NORMAL stores for bras.

Anonymous said...

Last time I went in a bra shop, they tried to convince me I was a 32C. I could have stuffed five more items into the bras they tried to get me to buy, with room to jiggle :p Dunno *what* they were thinking, but next time I'm not going to Marks & Sparks!

fencepost said...

My wife gets Lily of France 38DD bras (I think technically sport underwire) at Kohls; they have sales fairly regularly.

Gabby the Pineapple Princess said...

I work at Victoria's Secret. Bra sizes (At least there and everywhere else I go) are in even numbers and run until 40.

After that you go to specialty stores.

But yea. There is such a thing as 38 ^_^

CD Covington said...

A well-endowed* friend of mine saw me in my bra and said, "girl, you're in the wrong size." She measured me and told me nope, you're not a 36C, you're a 36D. I bought new bras, and lo and behold! My back stopped hurting. Amazing.

(*She's, uh, 30I or something like that. Looks stunning in a corset.)

Noel said...

Dude, you're the same size I am.
Actually I'm on the line between a 30DD and a 32D, but still....

Sara said...

38H here. :) Have to order them on-line, but yes they really exist!

Anonymous said...

Jen's got BEWBIES!

Unknown said...

Bra fitting is a confusing thing. :P I own DD bras that are tighter than some marked D, and Band sizes that range from 38 to 42. And for some reason, even industrial strength underwires with extra support fall to bits in a matter of months! Whenever my friends start complaining about how they need more bras, I tell them about the three that currently decided to fit.

Unknown said...

woah, seriously? That would be why I can rarely find 38's... eep

Anonymous said...

I constantly have problems with finding a bra that fits correctly. I'm a 38/40 DDD, depending on the style.

I recently read The Lingerie Handbook by Rebecca Apsan and was astonished by some of the facts she had in there about bras, along with the rest of the stuff that can be considered lingerie. I highly recommend that anyone with breasts read at least that chapter. It has some really useful stuff in there.

Clare K. R. Miller said...

I thought I was a 34C for years (nice, easy to find size) before realizing based on online discussion and measurements that a 32D is better. I own two and one is broken. Now I'm afraid to actually get fitted for fear I'm actually a 30E or something (considering how the 32Ds fit, it's definitely possible, though they are way better than the 34Cs) and won't be able to buy bras except online. I don't know where there's a specialty shop near me, anyway...

lotus.13 said...

Of course they make a 38 bra! I wear either a 36 or a 38. But im also a DD.
Its hard to find A and B cups in 38's because manufacturers assume that smaller breasted gals have smaller ribcages.
However that is not always the case.
All of my female friends shop at Layne Bryant, you can get a 38B there... I go there because normal stores usually carry DD's in the 40's. all the cute 36/38's i find are D! Grr!

and bra-store women always have nice boobs because they're wearing good bras that are the right size!

Brennos said...

I betcha it's like tailors. Tailor's always look sharp because they know how to make a suit look sharp.

Someday there will be a bra robot. It will shoot you with a bra ray, which will levitate boobies by antigravity, thus solving the whole problem once and for all.

Anonymous said...

Holy crap, we're boob sisters! XD Long time fan of your comment has been pulled out of lurkdom just to comment on this comic... Also, thanks for informing the masses about that kilt store, I'm now heading there with my boyfriend ASAP. Bwarharhar, leafblowers are very much in his future.

Unknown said...

a 38B or a 32DD would be a dream...

considering i'm very curvy, i just bought an F and a G. the poke me in the underarm a bit but my whole boob actually fits in without popping out over the top. only problem is that i'm a little lopsided, so one cup is perfectly full, while he other is a little...lax. it sux.

Feisty said...

I'm a 36DDD or if you're European, a 36F. Feel my pain!

Also bra cup sizes definitely changed at some point in the 90's. I went from a C cup to a D cup overnight one year. And no, my body had not changed without me knowing it. My measurements were the same, the bras had just changed. I think they wanted to make all those A cuppers out there feel better.

Avilyn said...

I'm a 40DDD/42DD depending on brand/style. I detest underwires, and lately I've been getting my bras from Fashion Bug. I went to their store, tried on a whole bunch, found a couple that fit, and ordered duplicates in different colors online. Should be set for a couple of years now :-)

And yes, I dearly wish they'd standardize women's sizes.. don't get me started on pants sizes. What's wrong with doing the measurements in inches like the guys' pants?

catastrophegirl said...

link over to wapsi square [look to the left....] and check out the faq's. scroll down and you'll find some links to resources for finding bras in not commonly carried sizes. [nope, he's not a perv, his wife is hard to fit too]

creeper said...

daaaaaaang

Anonymous said...

i'd just like to point out the genius of Utilikilt brand utility kilts ... they do actual real inch sizing.. not schmanzy feel good sizing...

sure it has nothing to do with boobies..but since i can't play with any of YOURS ... i thought i'd bring it back to jennies 2nd fav subject... menz in kiltz :)

Synthetic Phylum said...

Wow... That's QUITE the upgrade there, Jennie! I can only imagine that your bras to date have been a bit on the uncomfortable side!

They DO have 38's; my most recent ex-GF was a 38D... They're just almost impossible to find! We'd usually have to go through several stores to find ones that fit all our criteria; sizing, color, etc., as she was morally opposed to 'utilitarian'-looking bras, or 'armor-plating' (Padding), which makes no sense when one is in the D range... Why would one want a padded bra when they're a D cup?

Anonymous said...

I'm a D and I love padded bras...they tend to support better, at least for me =P

Amanda said...

I have to agree with the previous statement. They can be more supportive than the thin material. That being said, I'm a DD myself and I don't want to have everything super padded. Just enough that I can have a cold chill and the whole world doesn't know about it (especially since I'm a middle school teacher)

Anonymous said...

Ok had to put my two cents in. Im a 38DDD It's trully amazing how hard it is to to find such bras. then make very very few of them.

Natalie said...

My bra size (at Victoria's Secret anyway) is 36C - a blessing and a curse, I find. Apparently it (with a couple other sizes near it) is considered the "standard" or "average" size of their clients. This means two things - every bra is made in my size (woohoo!) and... they are likely to sell out before I can get to them (sigh).

Margot Elyse said...

Heeh. I work in a corset shop, and since we do sizing based on the 'art' of taking a natural waist measurement, subtracting a bunch (Squish Point!) and trying it on the client.. it can be amusing. I've had women come in and say they're a size '43'.. when they really need a 24.

Fuck bras. I'll be in a corset.

Anonymous said...

Yeah try being measured and finding out you are 52 GG thats Gs, not Ds. Gs!!!!!!!!

Brianne said...

Lemme tell you, I've been wearing the wrong size of bra for years. I finally got fitted for an actual bra, not just the covering types you buy at a lingerie store. 130 bucks well spent. Too bad I found out I was actually a 42F, not a 44DD. Oopsy.

Anonymous said...

I'm a 30C. Most department stores hold band sizes 32 and up. I've never found a bra that fit until the Bay near my house started carrying a "petite" line. FINALLY! I nearly cried, when I managed to find something that I wasn't floating in. Before, the only bra I had that fit was one that my boss (wedding dress designer) had resewn for me when she was fitting me for my prom dress.

Kitty said...

I think the reason you rarely see 38s is because it is the most common size and stores run out of the faster.

Metylda Of Raveslake said...

The do indeed make 38's, and 40's and 42's and 44's.

It's great going to get measured, have a sales clerk tell you that you are a 44 DDD (yes, triple D), only to buy several pairs and have so much room you decided to go on a picnic, complete with wine bottle and glasses, and not use a basket.

*sigh* I haven't been measures since, just bought bras on my own and tried to figure out what feels the best...

Kitty said...

My mother taught me that you get your bra size by measuring completely around your boobs and, again, around your ribs. Subtract ribs from total and the difference gives you your cup size.

So, 34 inch ribs and 38 uinch total would be 34D.

40 inch ribs with 43 inch total is 40C

38 DD would be 38 inch ribs and 43 inch total.

I don't know what happens when you pass E.

(I did when I was pregnant but the woman at the maternity store helped me out and I didn't have learn those variables.)

Anonymous said...

I'm a 38 D so I can attest that they do indeed exist. Just like they have 40's and up. But like one other comment said, I think 38 is only in C and D.

Unknown said...

I wear a 38c and I can never find stuff that fits. It's always just thrown in the same bin as 44DD when places have sales. I get mad when I look over and the 32-36 sizes are carefully separated by cup size and made so the customers can find what they're looking for. The stores for curvier women aren't any better for me because of how I'm built (now I'm too small).

The reason clerks at those stores have such great boobs is that they're better supported. I went to a store and upon advisement tried one one bra. It gave the most amazing boobs but there was no way I could justify to myself spending as much as it cost. I know someone who worked at the same store and when she had to quit, she lamented no longer being given free free bras. My friend told me they gave her stuff so she could honestly recommend it and so she would look good.

Anonymous said...

I know exactly how you feel in this strip, went through exactly the same thing. Went into a bra store because mine were getting worn out... and since the ones I tried on felt uncomfortable... I asked to be sized. Turns out I wasn't a A after all, I'm a C. Then they show me how to put on a bra properly and I'm looking down at myself wondering where the hell this cleavage came from

Stuart Robinson said...

My girly used to wear a 38 DD and hadn't been measured for a long time, so we decided to visit bravissimo one day and find out what what she should be wearing.

Came out a 34HH lol, bit of a shock but it definatly made a difference!

Anonymous said...

I wear a 38 B... :P

Anonymous said...

I have 4 different bras in 4 different sizes that fit, or don't, in 4 different ways. My 34D fits perfectly at the band but is a little small in the cups, the 36C also fits perfectly in the band but is even smaller in the cup, the 36D fits perfectly in the cup but can be uncomfortably tight in the band(depending on how I bend) and the 38C fits perfectly in the band but is slightly big in the cups....

I want a half dozen corsets instead....

Anonymous said...

I'm a 38D

Kelly said...

they make 38s in B as well.. I know, I have one :P i was measured to be a 37 and then told that i had to choose 36 or 38 so i have some of both... more 36s but one 38 just for the comfort factor (occasionally it's nice to be comfy)